Winter storm brings significant snow to central and especially eastern VA...

We saw a general 1-3 inch snowfall across central Virginia Saturday afternoon and evening, due to a disturbance moving over the region in advance of the developing coastal storm. More snow is likely through this afternoon, as the storm takes shape off the Carolina coast and begins to strengthen as it moves north. As I've talked about the last couple of days, the heaviest snow will be focused well east of Richmond. However, significant accumulations will still occur near I-95. Many places in the metro could add a couple of inches to what we saw earlier, bringing totals into the 3-6 inch range along and east of I-95. West of I-95, I expect total amounts to be in the 2-4 inch range, dropping off to less than 2 inches farther west toward Charlottesville. The bullseye for heavy snow will be near the coast, from Williamsburg to Hampton Roads, including the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, where at least 7-12 inches are likely, with locally higher amounts.

A few flakes in the air for Christmas...

Today will be a nice, sunny day to finish the week. Then some clouds will roll in tonight for Christmas Eve. An upper level disturbance approaching from the northwest should trigger some snow showers and flurries for Christmas Day, potentially leaving a light dusting on the ground. Of course the big story the last couple of days has been the impending development of a coastal storm. The model data is in good agreement that the storm track will be a bit too far south and east of us to have any significant impact on central Virginia. However, a few periods of light snow or flurries are possible on Sunday, particularly east of Interstate 95. Either way, as the storm heads up the East Coast (well east of the coastline), strong winds and cold will be the rule Sunday and Monday. Then a significant break in the chill is on tap by mid-week. Temperatures should bounce above 50 degrees and I wouldn't be surprised to see temperatures in the 60s for the final day of 2010!

Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight!

Photo credit: Jim Fakatselis

Get ready for a terrific sky show tonight! Mainly clear skies are expected over central Virginia, so we should have a spectacular view of the total lunar eclipse taking place. This will be the first lunar eclipse falling on the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) in nearly 400 years!

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. The Earth literally hides the sun behind it! The partial eclipse phase will begin at 1:33AM ET. Totality begins at 2:41AM ET and lasts for about 72 minutes. The absolute "best" view is expected at 3:17AM ET as the moon will be deepest in the shadow and should show off some beautiful hues of red. The reason for the red appearance you see is all the sunrises and sunsets that occur around the ring of the Earth during the eclipse. The atmosphere and scatters and refracts sunlight, and some of that indirect sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere sending it into the shadow.

For more information on tonight's eclipse, check out these links:

Sky & Telescope (the basics on tonight's eclipse with detailed times)

Shadow & Substance (great visuals)

Winter Storm Update...

The map above shows areas under a Winter Storm Warning in pink and those under a Winter Weather Advisory in purple.

Snow will develop across the region this morning, around 8-9AM in the Metro Richmond area (earlier to the west and later to the east). Significant accumulations are likely by afternoon, when the snow will begin to mix with sleet at times (around 2-3PM). More mixing will occur south of I-64. I expect a general 3-5 inch snowfall most of central Virginia, with 2-4 inches in Charlottesville and Fredericksburg.

Cities under a Winter Storm Warning include: Richmond, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Wakefield, Williamsburg, Emporia and Farmville. Places under a Winter Weather Advisory include Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Washington, DC and Hampton Roads.

The wintry precipitation will taper off during the evening and skies will be partly sunny on Friday, although it will still be quite cold with the snow cover in place. The next system we're watching for the weekend should scoot by to our southeast Saturday and Saturday night, with the greatest precipitation chances coming over extreme southeast Virginia.

Winter Storm Heading Our Way...

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for much of central Virginia through tomorrow evening. Low pressure over the Plains will move into the Tennessee Valley tomorrow morning. This will spread a swath of snow across the Commonwealth, which will continue through the afternoon...mixing with sleet at times. Significant accumulations are likely and the afternoon commute will be very tricky.

Expect snow to develop sometime after 8AM in the Metro Richmond area. It will quickly pick up and continue into the afternoon. Sleet may mix in at times during the afternoon, particularly after 2PM. More mixing will occur south of I-64. I expect a general 3-5 inch snowfall across the entire area, with the potential for a few 6-inch totals where sleet doesn't occur. The Charlottesville and Fredericksburg areas should anticipate an accumluation of 2-4 inches.

The wintry precipitation should taper off during the evening and skies should be partly sunny on Friday. Another potential system off the Southeast coast could give us a glancing blow Saturday and Saturday night, with the highest probability for precipitation coming over southeast Virginia/Hampton Roads. Stay tuned for any possible changes to the forecast over the weekend...

Winter Weather Advisory for Southside VA tonight

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Southside VA and many counties just south of I-64 until 1 A.M. A period of light snow (mixed with some sleet and rain) will occur this evening and as temperatures lower, we may see some minor accumulation on grassy surfaces. There may be some slippery spots on bridges, overpasses and elevated highways. In the Metro Richmond area, some snow flurries are likely to occur.

Tornado Watch in effect until 9 A.M.

A Tornado Watch is in effect for Central Virginia until 9 A.M. The watch area includes Metro Richmond, the Tri-Cities, Charlottesville, Williamsburg and Fredericksburg. A line of storms moving into the region during the early morning hours may produce damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph and the potential for isolated tornadoes.

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